Darlene Polanka of San Francisco, works to secure a plant to stakes in her garden box at the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center/Kezar Gardens on Tuesday, July 2, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Darlene Polanka of San Francisco, works to secure a plant to stakes...

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Tristram Savage, staff member, works at the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center/Kezar Gardens on Tuesday, July 2, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Tristram Savage, staff member, works at the Haight Ashbury...

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Marie Sayles of San Francisco, who through a lottery acquired a garden box, waters a neighbors box at the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center/Kezar Gardens on Tuesday, July 2, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Marie Sayles of San Francisco, who through a lottery acquired a...

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Recycling center Executive Director Ed Dunn stands next to vertical gardens at the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center/Kezar Gardens on Tuesday, July 2, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. The vertical gardens were placed to block the view of the center from the street.

It's been five years since the city formally decided that an industrial recycling center was a poor use for Golden Gate Park. Supporters, like site Director Ed Dunn, have debated, cajoled, protested - and in a last-ditch attempt - created a native plants garden.

But at this point it's finished. This is all over but the shouting - and sadly there will probably be lots of that. Even after losing in the California Court of Appeal last week, supporters bicker on. Now there is a far-fetched fantasy that the California Supreme Court or even the U.S. Supreme Court will hear their case and carry the day.

Guys, take some advice. Get over it.

"The chances that the California Supreme Court is going to take this case is as close to zero as you can get," said Vince Chhabria, who represented the city in the Court of Appeal. "And the chances of the U.S. Supreme Court are way lower than that."

There was a time when HANC was an important political force in this town. It stepped up and stopped a six-lane highway that was set to cut through Golden Gate Park in 1960. Through the next 30 years, HANC controlled the Haight-Ashbury agenda.

But that time has passed, and the way HANC has dragged out this battle is a perfect example. The 1998 Golden Gate Park master plan identified the recycling center as "a non-conforming use." Its lease expired in 2001. Neighborhood groups have complained, attended meetings, and recruited supporters. Mayor Gavin Newsom served them an eviction notice in December 2010 and Mayor Ed Lee issued a new termination notice in June 2011.

And yet they stay.

Partly, they've lasted by putting their fingers in their ears and singing, "La-la-la." But they've also hired attorneys, filed lawsuits and appealed the suits that they've lost.

And finally, in as cynical a move as we're likely to see in local politics, they attempted to transform themselves into a "Native Plants Nursery." Ignore the tons of recycling that rolls through here every year; this is actually a community garden.

"We happen to generate a profit," Dunn said. "So we can do this. Now there's a garden."

HANC built planter boxes, grew plants and announced they were too valuable to the city to evict. After all, the Recreation and Park Department said they wanted to transform the blacktop into a garden.

Right, except that the idea was to let the community create the garden. And, oh yes, to get rid of the noisy, dirty and redundant recycling center.

This is more than an academic argument. HANC's 2010 990 tax form shows revenue of $690,354. Granted, there are expenses of $617,614, but that includes $439,154 in salaries, compensation and employee benefits.

Asked about the totals, Dunn said this wasn't the time for that discussion. There was a time when I regarded Dunn as a charming rogue, passionate, but sprinkling his opinions with good humor. But now he's off on distant tangents, far from reality.

He suggests the mayor may suddenly change his mind and let them stay. He claims the neighbors - and several neighborhood groups - who complained are just a small disgruntled group.

Oh yes, and he think the judges who denied HANC's appeal hadn't done their homework.

Actually, says Chhabria, it looks as if the three-judge panel looked the issues over pretty carefully. That's why they called one of the arguments unsupported by facts and "nonsensical."

"I don't think I have ever had a case where the Court of Appeal was so derisive," Chhabria said. "In fact I have never seen it use that particular word."

Dunn says HANC may take this to a higher court, but Chhabria says it will be a waste of time and money.

"There's only so much delay that can take place," he said. "We're definitely at the tail end of this."